The Washington Times: Peace with Azerbaijan is precondition for democratization in Armenia

Peace with Azerbaijan is a precondition for democratization in Armenia, Stephen Blank, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said in his article published in The Washington Times.

The author points out that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made numerous statements and gestures indicating an unwillingness to negotiate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

“However, in so doing Pashinyan, possibly unwittingly, but nevertheless clearly, has placed his own democracy campaign at risk. As long as Armenia holds onto Azerbaijani territories it will not have peace. Simply, peace with Azerbaijan is a precondition for democratization in Armenia,” said the article.

“Peace, however, is the sole guarantee that Armenia can both democratize and move forward provided it receives strong Western backing. This affects the United States because Pashinyan allegedly wants a meeting with President Trump in New York. Before this meeting possibly occurs, Pashinyan should give the United States reasons to support him,” said Blank.

However, the author says that Armenia’s retention of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are incompatible with US support or democracy.